In His ministry on earth Christ also made propitiation for our sins (2:17). Sin, which has been taken away, caused many issues. All of those issues became problems between us and God. Therefore, at the time when Christ took away sin He also made propitiation for us with God. In a sense, He has appeased God for us. Although there were many problems between us and God, Christ’s sin offering has appeased God for us. Now there are no problems between us and God. Do not pay attention to your feelings. You may still feel that there is a problem between you and God, but that is a lie. Do not listen to it. Tell the enemy, “Sin has been taken away and God has been appeased.” These are glad tidings. Hallelujah, sin is gone and God is here!
Christ has also made purification for our sins (1:3). Christ offered Himself for our sins, made propitiation for our sins, and made purification for our sins. If Christ had only offered Himself for sin and made propitiation for our sins without making purification for them, His work would not have been clean-cut. But His work was the best cleaning work, for He has accomplished the purification of sins. In the eyes of God, we are not only forgiven but also purified. Now we have a purified conscience.
Christ has also sanctified us through His offering with His blood (10:10, 14, 29; 13:12). He not only purified our sins but also sanctified us, separated us, set us apart, unto God. I do not care how you feel about yourself. According to Christ’s figuration, you have been separated, sanctified. You do not belong to the city where you live; you belong to God. We have all been sanctified, separated unto God by Christ through His offering with His blood. When Christ died on the cross, offering Himself for us, He separated us to God. When you hear this, you may say, “It is not like that according to my experience.” Be patient. Wait for a few years, the next age, or, at the latest, for eternity, and you will see that you have been sanctified unto God. In the New Jerusalem we all shall be set apart unto God. I not only believe this for myself but for all the children of God. Do not believe your present situation, for it is altogether a lie. Sometimes I am told by the brothers that a church in a particular place is not very good. I do not like to be told that. Whenever I hear such a report, deep within me I say, “You are wrong. Every church is wonderful.” If we do not believe this today, we shall believe it some day. One day we shall see that every church is wonderful and that every church is separated, sanctified, unto God. But do not wait until eternity to believe it. Believe it today. If you wait for eternity to believe this, you will miss a great deal of enjoyment. If you believe it today, you will enjoy it. What glad tidings it is to hear that we have been separated to God through the offering of Christ with His blood!
Christ has perfected us through His offering (10:14). In Greek, the word translated perfected also means completed. Christ has already perfected and completed us. Regardless of how weak, young, or new you are, you have been perfected and completed by Christ through His offering. This is the gospel, the glad tidings.
In His ministry on earth Christ consummated a new covenant for us with His blood (8:6; 9:14-15). After Christ offered Himself as the sin offering and made propitiation and purification for our sins, He consummated the new covenant for us. In this covenant all of the foregoing items are included. Christ sealed this new covenant with His blood. Hence, it is a blood-sealed covenant. In other words, He signed this covenant with blood, not with ink. No one can change it.
After Christ consummated the new covenant, He went to heaven, leaving the covenant for us (9:16-17). After He left for heaven, the covenant immediately became a testament, a will. The word testament is an ancient term for the modern term will. Christ consummated a covenant and He bequeathed to us as a will, the will of our beloved One who died for us.